Legacy of the Rinnegan
by TehBigKahuna
Summary: Pein's plans to bring ultimate peace are interrupted when he is threatened by a unknown person. His choices: Serve this menacing entity of die. At the same time, he and Zetsu desperately search for their new "master"'s identity so that they may defeat him
1. The Pointless War

Legacy of the Rin'negan

Episode 1: The Pointless War

The hill was silent. Huge, monolithic standing stones stood silent and stationary over the gentle land. A small band of people crouched underneath them, all ninja. Tensions were high.

Our mission was unorganized and poorly funded, typical of the bureaucracy of Amegakure. We did not know how many enemies would come, or where they would come from.

"Nagato!" came the impatient voice of the ANBU squad leader.

"We don't have time to dawdle!" He was a large man with a short beard. He looked old, but he was more that a match for even a Jonin.

I got up from the sitting position and looked around. All around me, ANBU were sharpening blades or writing scrolls. The less nervous ones were creating sparse chatter or exchanging Jutsus. In short they were preparing for the mission to come. As for me, I was content on sitting there, contemplating.

Here I was, smack-dab in the middle of another of Amegakure's many futile wars. The government was petty, and violence ruled supreme. The government drafted those who had the abilities into the black ops, which is the reason I am here now. Many spoke out against this, but those were the ones who were taken to the alleys and killed. All others became quiet and didn't speak out any longer.

One day I will rally them, and reform the government, and all will have peace in the village of rain. At least… that was my dream. I knew I would never live up to it. It was too far away, even for someone who became ANBU at age 14. No one could stop the endless war, any more than one could stop the endless rain of Amegakure.

"You seem… tense." That voice came from my brother, Yahiko. He was slim but tall, and one of the most talented shinobi in our squad. I would always be shadowed by his enormous accomplishments, but I was content to stay out of general view. "What's bothering you?"

"Nothing," came my reply. It was a blatant lie, even he could see that, but I didn't want to say what was on my mind.

"You were always a horrible liar. Oh well, I see it's futile to persuade you to tell. I'll be with the squad leader if you need me."

"KA-CAW KA-CAW!!" came the crow call that was our signal to take our positions in the rocks. The enemy would trot down the path and BAM! they would be slaughtered. The idea sickened me, but it had to be done.

Beside me was Yahiko.

"Hey little bro," he said in his always-cool voice.

"Ya see 'em? They're coming down that path there. We'll be waitin'."

The squad leader rapped out orders.

"Get down!! Shut up!!"

The ANBU fell into silence. We heard the footsteps of our targets coming across the path right above the outcropping. It was lucky for us that they hadn't noticed us. Once again I cursed the bureaucracy for its lack of intelligence.

"Eight of 'em. Six guards, four chunin, two jonin, and two diplomats," Yahiro reported to the squad leader. He had an amazing talent of obtaining facts about people or situations because he could hear the noise they made. It had saved the squad many times over.

The statistics meant good news. Six able enemy fighters versus ten of ours. And the six enemies had two to guard too. We'd get through this scrape in no time… But as usual my confidence faded. I'd have to fight. I'd have to dispassionately take a human life. I didn't even know the guy that I would be administering death to.

One of the jonin guards looked up. He had spotted us. He spoke to the other jonin. After right now, there would be no better chance to attack.

At the signal of our leader, the squad leapt into action, my brother throwing knives all about. The six guards formed a protective circle around the diplomats and summoned a shield of earth to surround them. But it was too late. Yahiro's knives found two of them, and the shield faltered. One began to form hand seals, but was pierced by hundreds of _senbon_, and fell. I threw all the _senbon_ I had. They landed on the last chunin's feet, tripping her and sending her smashing into a boulder. The two Jonin then sped into the attack and flashed around our troops. One of our chunin fell, their legs cut from underneath them.

One of them began to head towards me at insanely fast speed. I gripped my knife. I was no match for a Jonin who had killed several of my teammates in a few moments. Time seemed to slow. I saw him hurtling toward me, yet I stood, rooted to the spot. His Kunai knife shone as it sped toward my face, and my hands slowly moved to block it…

A shape hurled between me and my assailant. I heard a pained groan and the Jonin halted to a stop. There, between both of us, was Yahiro, his knife in the enemy's chest. The Jonin toppled over, dead.

I gasped in relief. The enemy was defeated, and neither I nor Yahiro were killed. And then Yahiro toppled over too, the Jonin's knife in his chest. I rushed over.

"Yahiko…" The remaining ANBU gathered in a ring around us. Yahiro's head tilted to face mine.

"Nagato. It was… worth it… but I think… I'm tired of this war…" The tears came freely, mixing with the blood.

"Shining eyes," he moaned. "What?" I asked, confused. "Shining eyes…" and then he lay still.

I looked up at the ring of people, confused.

"Look! His eyes!"

"What could it mean?"

"Rin'negan," the squad leader said, his face showing a mixture of fear and awe. "He has the eye of legend. It is the greatest of the eyes of insight!"

_Rin'negan. _I had not heard much of it - just a few rumors and legends. But even then I knew enough to realize I could not have it.

I stared into a puddle formed by the endless rain. There I saw my reflection, with shining eyes. They had multicolored concentric rings around them. It was Rin'negan!

I looked at the dead body of my brother. Did he need to die? Was this war necessary? Is war itself necessary? _No._ With the Rinnegan, I had the power. I had the power to stop this madness.

_MY NAME IS PEIN, AND I SHALL SAVE THE WORLD!_

Chunin: Journeyman ninja

Jonin: Elite ninja

Amegakure: Hidden village of the rain

Senbon: acupuncture needles, commonly used for medical purposes, also used as weapons in some villages.


	2. Rise of a God

Legacy of the Rin'negan

Episode 2: Rise of a God

AUTHOR'S NOTE: The first chapter was in 1st person, but from now on this story will carry on is third person.

A sullen band trudged through the marsh in the land of rain. It numbered about eight. Four of them supported a large stretcher, in which lay three bodies of their fallen comrades.

A storm threatened to break in the horizon, over the small lumps that were the buildings of the nearest city of the land of rain.

Straggling behind was a young man of about 20. He just stared at the ground, saying and doing nothing. A large man of about 50 years old, the ANBU squad leader, noticed his sorrow and came over.

"I'm sorry, Nagato-san. We did all we can do for your brother." Nagato just stared at the ground. The squad leader continued. "The wound is not fatal… yet. Our medics patched it up as best they could. They say the knife nicked the brachial artery and if we don't operate soon his lungs will fill with blood. All we can do is hope he doesn't bleed out until we can get him to the nearest hospital."

"That seems great. Only the nearest hospital is miles away!" Nagato yelled in frustration.

Hato (that's what I've decided to name the squad leader as of now) stared sternly. "A shinobi must put his head before his heart. Think of the mission. It was extremely important and we should be grateful it was a victory.

Nagato's face creased with pain. "Then I don't want to be a shinobi anymore! I'm quitting the ANBU. I just need to get out of this hell!"

"No. Nagato-san, the ANBU needs you. Yahiko-sama may never fight again and we need a powerful shinobi to fill his place. You were one of the best in your class and your squad. And with Rin'negan you could become a legend and bring our country glory it has never felt before."

"I'm not fighting this pointless war. You think this country cares what I do? The government is more likely to hunt me down because of the Rin'negan than hail me for it," Nagato argued, the frustration clear in his voice.

Hato sighed and looked older than ever. "I can't make this choice for you, but your country needs you. _I_ need you!" His voice dropped to a whisper. "I am not supposed to divulge this information. I need an heir to the position of squad leader. I've been privileged to choose it. You have become wise and powerful. But you need to take your brain and put it back in your head!" Hato said sternly. "You have so many opportunities ahead of you. You only have to take the path instead of sitting there like a spud."

"You are reasonable. War is not. If I am to take it down, reason is not the method to choose," Nagato said calmly. "And don't make it harder for me by meddling."

Hato definitely looked frustrated by now. "This is madness! How can you possibly stop war? War is a natural fact of civilization. It is a natural fact of the world! How can you possibly stop it?"

Nagato just laughed.

"I have had enough with the ramblings of a madman! Go ahead. Kill yourself. I have been all but reasonable. Go do whatever you like, Nagato." And then he left to join the front of the group. He caught the last sentence.

"My name is_Pein._"

The tone of voice sent shivers down his spine. This voice had no reason. No mercy. All that was left was… the whisperings of a madman. Hato gave a small laugh and walked on. He would retire peacefully and never deal with this lunatic again.

…

The village of Rain is small compared to the village of the leaf and the other main shinobi villages. It is home to the largest hospital in the surrounding lands. It was a large, clean, well kept building that treated hundreds of patients a day.

Nagato sat in a waiting room, surrounded by nervous relatives waiting to see their sick sons, daughters, and mothers. At last he was called up to the reception desk. A small man awaited him.

"Name?" The tiny man asked.

"Uhh… Usaga Morimoto," Nagato replied. He knew he didn't have the money, but this wasn't the first time he'd gotten on the wrong side of the law.

"Can I see some kind of identification?" The ridiculously short man inquired.

Nagato held out his fake ID and handed it to the miniscule man. "Identification verified. Head on in."

Nagato entered the room. A doctor was checking the machine that showed his heart rate and health stats. On the bed was Yahiro. He looked horrible. He was deathly pale and his heart rate was slowing.

"There's not much we can do. Most of our rooms and resources are taken up by the hundreds of other survivors of the war," the doctor told him sympathetically.

Nagato said nothing and left. It would take a while for the doctors to realize that there was no such person as Usaga Morimoto, and by that time he expected to be far away. Anyways, he had other matters to attend to.

Nagato crossed a tangle of crumbling roads and a menagerie of shops. To the sides of the street was a gathering of people shouting and waving signs. Most civilians had had family members of friends killed in the war, and so wanted the government to stop the violence. In fact, some of the rioters became violent themselves, terrorizing the homes and families of the supporters of the war. Most were in tattered clothes because the taxes were very severe at wartime.

"DOWN WITH THE WAR!" screamed a teenager carrying a large sign which portrayed a rude gesture to the government. The throng of people was vast and diverse. Nagato caught a glimpse of a man in a wheelchair that could at least have been ninety years old. He was protesting as energetically as the rest.

At last, in front of him lay the largest bank in the land of rain. He entered through the double doors. He stopped in front of one of the various clerks. "I'd like to access my account."

The clerk noticed his clothes. "Of course, sir. Always happy to serve the ANBU."

The clerk accessed the account. "Wow. Your account shows a balance of 20,000 ryo. You must have a generous friend or family," he said as if implying that one in the fighting force could not be wealthy without outside help.

Nagato almost fainted._20,000 ryo??? But how??_ _How does 20,000 ryo just appear in your account? Maybe it was Yahiko. He always said he was saving up for something big, but I had always thought he was just joking…_

"Uhh… I'd like it transferred into bills please," Nagato stammered.

"Of course. Lucky fool. I wish I had 20,000 ryo." The clerk handed Nagato a large stack of bills.

Next stop, Amegakure ninja headquarters. It was a large building, dominating the smaller buildings. Nagato entered through the large, imposing doors. The desk ninja immediately recognized him.

"Hey, Nagato. Why are you here? After your mission you were given three days off. Are you here to help me with desk work?" the desk ninja asked hopefully.

"Fat chance, Tamanegi. I'm here to quit."

"What? You know we can't just let you quit. I don't have time to pander your case either, so you'll have to bring it to the government without my help." Tamanegi said sourly.

"I'll help you with that desk work."

"Fine. I'll see what I can do. But no guarantees. Now get to that stack of documents, and I'll cover these."

…

Those were the three most boring hours of his life. Three whole hours of sifting through documents while listening to idle gossip that Tamanegi spouted.

Nagato headed over to the nearest hotel and checked out a room with a small portion of his newly discovered fortune. His room was not too expensive, but not too shabby. Perfect.

He had power. He had money. Now to stop the war. He had a basic plan:

1. Gather people who have equal hatred of the war or hire mercenaries. Or both.

2. Disguise fanatics/mercenaries as civilians and assassinate the corrupt governor at founder's day.

3. Take over government and make peace treaties to all enemy lands.

4. Muahahaha (just kidding)

Now to gather fanatics. Luckily for Nagato, riots were a common site around the cities of Amegakure. And Nagato had a plan. A visit to the tailor shop was all he needed…

…

A young man walked down the street toward the rioters. He was dressed in a fancy suit and pants, and the snooty look on his face made him look exactly like a government official.

The rioters, sensing prey, began to mill toward the official. Some began to shout and they quickly moved to surround the finely dressed man.

The official, realizing the danger he was in, turned and began to flee. The mob chased him yelling and screaming. And then the official made his second stupid mistake… (the first was walking into a mob dressed like their hated enemy) he turned and ran into an alley.

The mob caught up with him and grabbed him. They began pushing him and screaming obscenities, when he shouted, "SILENCE!"

The mob stood silent. The official raised his arms and a gout of flame licked the sky. The crowd was stunned.

"Greetings. My name is Pein and I am your savior! Now that I have you here, I would like to make a proposition…"

…

Founder's day was the day where the people of the land of rain gathered to celebrate their founder, and first lord of rain. He had been a great warrior and defeated the invading armies of Iwagakure. He had died when and Iwagakure spy poisoned his ramen. How sad.

Nagato and his newfound allies were in disguise as normal civilians enjoying the parades and free food. Although the rioters threw the free food everywhere and drowned out the music of the parades. _How much more can the war spoil? Luckily, it will end today…_ Nagato thought.

At last a procession of grim bodyguards, government representatives, and one finely dressed governor of Amegakure entered the center stage.

"May I present lord Amekokuou the excellent!" a rotund announcer blared out into the crowd. He was greeted with jeers.

Around fifty people climbed onto the stage. They were dressed in normal clothing, but immediately drew all kinds of hidden weapons and umbrellas. Sensing a threat, the ANBU bodyguards rushed forward to meet the assassins. Thousands of _senbon_ needles flew out of the umbrellas, pincushioning many of the ANBU.

Nagato called upon the Rin'negan, gathering chakra into himself. He had never used it before. _Give it all you've got!_

A surge of unknown chakra swept into his stomach. He redirected it to his hands, and an enormous amount of fire pooled into his hands and scorched friends and enemies alike.

_This is… fire chakra?_

He quickly rekindled the beam of fire and directed it to a clump of bodyguards, who were immediately dispatched.

Then he saw his real target. The governor. He jumped over the embattled guards and assassins and landed right next to the corrupt lord.

Once again he called upon his bloodline limit. This time he reached out to a different type of chakra. A gust of wind began to blow the governor away, but another person used chakra to block the attack.

Pein felt anger surge through him.

"I thought I told you not to meddle," he growled.

"Your little coup will be over soon. Reinforcements are on the way," Hato replied with a sense of false coolness. He could sense the chakra emanating from Pein.

Pein felt the surge of power as the raw elemental chakra burst from his hands in a stream of fire. Hato used his chakra as a shield, desperately warding away the flames. His energy ran out quickly and the flames consumed most of his body and sending the remains hurtling off into the crowd, which was watching the battle in a sort of awe.

Pein turned to see about twenty ANBU pushing through the crowd. But the crowd began to attack them, and they began to be buried under bodies of the rioters.

Pein turned to the governor and quickly and efficiently killed him. At this, the guards began to concentrate their efforts of escaping. The remaining guards fled, leaping through the crowd. Some were snatched and dog piled.

And then Pein found himself on the stage, next to the slain carcasses of guards, assassins, and the governor. He faced the crowd. They were completely silent.

"You have seen the death of tyranny," Pein whispered. His voice grew so that all in the crowd could hear him. "The war is over! The corrupt governor that started this is dead at its end. I bring peace! I bring prosperity, for I am your savior! I AM PEIN THE GOD!"

The crowd stared, disbelieving. Some of the old and feeble fainted. And then, a few cheers rose up. And then increased. Eventually the whole audience was cheering beyond enthusiastically to the level of fanatically.

The war was over in the way they had least expected it; with tumultuous applause.

Guide to terms:

Rin'negan: the third of the eyes of insight (e.g. sharingan, byakugan)

Amegakure: the village of rain

Iwagakure: the village of stone

Ryo: currency

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hato is not the same person as Hanzo.


	3. Angel and Devil

Legacy of the Rin'negan

Episode 3: Angel and Devil

_This is a dangerous time. My enemy has managed to capture the whole country in one night. I must be quick… and deadly,_ the man thought as he walked down the hall toward the meeting room. The council would be waiting…

The man opened the door and slowly entered the room. It was a small and cramped space that had fallen into disrepair. This basically described the current financial situation of his organization. Dirt poor. Oh well…

A dozen shady figures awaited him. They were all the nobles of the rain who were opposed to Pein's sudden takeover.

"Hanzo. We've been awaiting your orders," a man with his head wrapped in bandages spoke softly.

"Get me all the info you can on our enemy," Hanzo replied. "We have to be ready to attack. Get all the stone shinobi and tell them to rendezvous with our west security. We'll give this Pein a little surprise…"

…

Pein sat in his room with three others. One is the head of security, a large dark man who was a former ANBU squad leader. Another is the chief medical ninja, a small blond kunoichi in a fishnet skirt and robe. The last was the peace official from Iwagakure. He was the first to speak.

"My country is not happy with this takeover. Your actions are too sudden and volatile. You-"

"That is not your place," The head of security interrupted. "Iwagakure has gotten a little too friendly with us. Just because we are on your side of the war does not mean you suddenly rule us."

"It is not wise to argue, considering my country is much more powerful than yours. Your lives are basically in my hands."

Pein spoke next. "You're sounding more like a war official than a peace official. If you want to challenge a god, then you can die right here."

The peace official paled. "We will crush you, and all your little followers. If you are a god, then they can all become martyrs!"

Pein was not in a good mood. Iwagakure "peace" officials had crowded up his day, all saying the same message. He already had a room filled with their incapacitated bodies, and was considering letting the official in front of him join them.

Pein sighed. He then punched the official in the neck with such force that the official flew back and made a dent in the wall behind him.

The others in the room looked at him in disbelief, And Pein realized his mistake. A chakra field around the official had been set off, alerting shinobi outside of the building. This official had been bait, sent in to determine what had happened to the other officials. Pein had fallen right into the trap.

"Everyone go. Now. Dispose of the body," Pein ordered. The other delegates stored the body under the table.

The delegates rushed out of the room to see a gathering of shinobi. About half of them wore Iwagakure headbands, and the other half wore Amegakure headbands.

One of them spoke. He was a tall man with an Amegakure headband, with a large scythe on his back. His face was serious, as if he did not smile often.

"Hello Pein. You fell into my ambush just as I expected of you. My name is Hanzo. Come, let's talk."

Guards apprehended Pein and the delegates, but Pein only shook his head.

"You cannot win, Hanzo. You are but a foolish mortal. Even now, hundreds of ANBU will take care of you and your little rebellion."

Hanzo's face hardened. "You forget that my "little rebellion" contains a regiment of soldiers from Iwagakure. Your ANBU face legions of shinobi!"

The platoon of guards and their prisoners rounded a corner to see hundreds of Iwagakure swarming into the village. They were battling the ANBU, who were outnumbered.

Pein took action immediately, leaping twenty feet above the heads of the guards, and unleashing a gust of wind that sent them flying. All except Hanzo.

Hanzo rapidly formed hand seals and slammed his hands to the ground. In a plume of steam, a gigantic salamander about the size of Gamabunta appeared. _This is going to be fun,_ Pein thought.

Hanzo took the scythe from his back and whirled it. Pein shot a score of air bullets that hit the scythe and it broke into pieces. Hanzo ordered the salamander to attack. It rushed forward, mouth wide open to swallow Pein. Pein just stood there calmly as the summon swallowed him.

Hanzo stared. _Maybe he's just another overconfident amateur…_

Then the salamander exploded in front of his eyes, sending him flying into the ground. He turned the momentum into a diving roll and prepared for Pein's next move.

_This one is powerful. Perhaps I cannot defeat him…_Hanzo thought. _My only hope is to escape alive and use an assassination jutsu to finish him off…_

Pein landed, assessing his surroundings. _He's tested my offense. Finding me superior, he will try to flee. In that case I have to finish him now, without scaring him off._

Pein began to draw raw fire chakra into his palm. The chakra became visible as a ball of smoke. The chakra began to glow and then caught fire, burning as bright as the sun. It was hotter than imaginable, yet enough so that it would bring Pein no bodily harm.

Hanzo stared, mouth agape. _The chakra gathered in his hand is immense… his chakra rivals that of a sannin…_

And then Pein attacked, releasing so much energy that the street below him began to evaporate. He charged at Hanzo. Hanzo tried to dodge the attack, and flung his body as far as possible from the ball of energy. Pein released it into a beam of chakra, slicing neatly through Hanzo's midsection and plowing right into a wall. Hanzo was utterly evaporated, and the wall was liquidated.

Pein stumbled, and leaned on a wall for support, his bloodlust ended. _DARNIT! WHAT HAVE I DONE?? I've led the land of rain into more violence! I've become a murderer, no worse than the one who killed my brother..._

He slid to the floor. _I can't take it anymore. I have to get out of this land. Out of this war filled trash heap._

"It's another ANBU!" Pein turned to see three Stone shinobi. "He looks like a weakling. Let's finish him quick."

Pein rose unsteadily. He gathered his fury into raw elemental chakra. _Why does it have to be this way?_ The chakra became visible, as a ball of electricity. _Why can't they just go home?_ The ball of energy began to unleash small shocks. _Why can't they just shut up and stop all this?!!_

A few seconds later, Pein stood in the clearing, alone. The bits and pieces of three Stone shinobi lay strewn about him. He walked toward the entrance of the village in a daze. He did not feel sorry for those unfortunates that got in his way. He did not feel. He did not care. He slowly strode through the village, leaving a trail of bodies in his wake.

Only one figure stood in his way now. It was a young woman, of his age. _Beautiful... It is harder to kill a flower than a weed,_ he thought. From the middle of his cloak he drew a long serrated knife.

Her eyes widened in fear. She held a sheet of paper in her hand. Pein moved so fast, he was but a blur. She moved faster, folding the paper into a spear. It zoomed towards its target at an impossibly fast rate… Until Pein snatched it from midair.

"You are worthy of an honorable death. And that I shall give you."

A violent gust of wind picked her up and slammed her into a wall. He was about to crush her with wind velocity when his bloodlust ended. The wind died down. The paper lady got up and came up to him.

"What happened? Chakra run out?" The paper lady asked bitterly. Pein curled up into a ball and began to shake.

"You're pathetic!" the paper lady said as she picked up the serrated knife and began to put it at his neck.

"You'd be like this too if you realized you were a murderer. Hopefully you don't want to become one." Pein wailed.

The paper lady put the knife down. "Anyone who's in the black ops is a murderer."

Pein still did not speak.

She paused for a moment. "I'm going to cut to the chase. This place is filled with black ops and stone shinobi. I need to get out of here and most likely you do too. So get off your feet and let's get out of here. We won't make it alone."

Pein got up and they trudged out of the village. The battle still raged behind them, but this area was rather unoccupied. Eventually they left the village limits.

"By the way, I haven't even got the chance to ask you your name," the paper lady said.

"Pein," came the unceremonious reply.

"You know, you could at least try to be polite. My name's Konan."

Pein didn't reply this time, but she continued, undeterred. "The next town's just a mile ahead. Then we can split up and I won't have to deal with you, Mr. Grumpy. By the way, where are you heading to next?"

"I was going to the land of sand," he said.

"Oh, coincidence. I'm going there too!"

"Then I'm going to the land of Grass," he grumped.

"Never mind. I'm sticking with my traveling companion. I'm going to the land of Grass," she said with a smile.

"You're not even worried that I just tried to kill you?"

"No. Actually, you're kind of a wimp."

…

After three hours of trekking through the wastes of the land of Rain, Pein and Konan finally reached the beginnings of the grassland. Pein sat down and took a breather.

"So, why did you leave your home village?" Konan asked.

"How do you know it was my home village?" Pein answered.

"I've seen you around. I was an orphan too, you know," she said. "I mostly stayed in the safe area of town."

Pein didn't look interested.

They sat there resting until Pein noticed they were being watched.

"Well, well, well. Look at these two meatsacks."

The voice came from a tall man with (steven put description for makaimaru here YES YOU, NOW!!!!).

"I think we've found them at last…" a softer voice sounded. It belonged to a short man of with jet black hair. His eyes were black, and gave him a dead sort of look.

Pein turned. "What do you want with us simple travelers?" he asked.

"You can't fool us. Hanzo has a little message for you. He simply says: see you soon."

Pein got up. "Hanzo? Why don't you tell him he should have stayed in the ditch I left him in."

The dead-looking one smiled evilly. "Makaimaru, stun the tall one. As for the female, she can be contained in collateral damage."

"Don't worry. I'll make this slow and painful!" The tall one chuckled as he drew two katana and charged at Pein.

Pein turned to Konan and yelled, "Get out of here!" and then turned and began to fight Makaimaru. Konan turned and disappeared into the grass.

Makaimaru drew two katana and charged. Pein kicked at him, but the two katana crossed and blocked the attack.

The dead-looking one appeared behind Pein and stabbed him in the shoulder with a kunai. Pein felt woozy. The world seemed to blur, and he blacked out.

…

Pein woke up in a dim room. He was bound, gagged, and possibly drugged. In front of him was Hanzo. "Hello Pein. You may have been wondering how I survived. It was a useful jutsu, but I dare not tell one such as you about it."

Hanzo turned to two Amegakure guards. "Prepare him for the execution." Hanzo then strode away.

Once Hanzo was gone, one of the guards kicked the other one in the face, knocking him out instantly. Pein stared in surprise. The guard's form began to ripple, until it had become someone he recognized.

"Hello Pein!" Konan said. She cut his bonds and removed his gag. He got up unsteadily.

"How'd you like my genjutsu?" she asked cheerfully. Pein staggered around.

"I think he drugged me. I can't feel my chakra system, and I can barely think," he stated gravely. "We have to get out of here as soon as possible."

"Yeah… that's a good idea," Konan said as they left the room.

They came to a hallway and began to traverse it, Konan leading and Pein stumbling behind. They came to the door and Konan put her ear against it.

"Guards. Darn!"

She formed hand seals and became a guard again. The door opened and a guard came from behind it.

"Shishiri, why are you transporting this prisoner to the exit?" he asked.

"I'm taking him to the execution area."

"Alright then." The guard walked away.

Konan and Pein stepped through the door and found themselves face to face with Hanzo. "What's this?" he asked.

Konan didn't waste a second. She grabbed Pein's serrated knife and jammed it into Hanzo's throat. She picked up Pein, who was still staggering about, and ran through the exit. The shinobi in the room stared in shock as they saw their leader fall to the floor and die. They were too busy tending to Hanzo to better with escapees.

Konan stopped a fair distance away from the village and put Pein down. She then formed hand seals to a genjutsu that blurred their outlines and nearly made them invisible. Then she and Pein walked away in relative leisure.

…

Their campsite lay about 20 miles away from the main village of Amegakure. It was nestled in a hollow in a hill. Pein had finally awoke from his drug-trance, and got up.

"I haven't thanked you properly," he said.

"It's all right. I can't just leave without my traveling companion."

Pein finally cracked a smile. "You're so annoying. By the way, you must be tired, saving me and all. Catch some rest and I'll take first watch."

"Thanks," Konan said and in a few minutes, she was out like a log.

Pein watched the clouds go by, and the glimmerings of the moon that shined through. It was beautiful. Konan had begun snoring, which slightly spoiled the effect.

Finally, a gap in the clouds aligned itself with the moon, and it shined through. It was the clearest Pein had even seen it, and it should have had a calming effect on him. But it didn't. A horrible sense of foreboding crept up inside him, washing through his insides until it collected in his stomach, and it stayed there, festering inside him. The moon itself seemed to be a projection of the horrible malice, and it slowly began to change color, from white, to orange, to a brilliant red. Reality seemed to twist, time seemed to stop, and he felt like he should sleep and never wake.

_What is this? What is this horrible intent?_ He thought frantically._ I have to get out of it!_

The horrible feeling began to grow, and grow. Slowly, the camp disappeared. The trees faded into scarce outlines. Konan faded away into blackness, with only a white outline of her to remind Pein she was still there. Yet she was far away, so far away.

The horrible feeling reached an unbearable point. Pein let out a stricken wail. His pain and misery seemed to materialize and take shape. He looked up and saw something that truly horrified him. Yahiko!

He saw Yahiko standing there, with the body of an enemy jonin dead in front of him. The jonin's knife protruded from his chest. Yahiko fell, and blood mixed with dirt and grass. Pein looked down at Yahiko's body, the soft smile of his lips, the shallow breathing of his ruptured chest, the eyes slowly dulling into the glazed stare of a corpse. And then Pein broke. A rending scream came from his mouth, his body fell into convulsions. He lay there, broken, helpless, defeated.

And then a voice spoke. It was soft, insinuating, and yet it concealed malice.

"Greetings, Pein. It is an honor to finally meet the heir of the Rin'negan."

Pein looked up. It took a Herculean effort. There, standing in front of him, was the blank outline of a figure. In the middle of the head gleamed two red eyes.

"Wh-what do you want f-from m-me?" Pein croaked.

The figure seemed to smile. "You will serve me. Eventually you will realize that it has it's rewards. But if you refuse, I shall trap you in this nightmare-world for years, and then when your horror is over, I shall destroy you and your little lady friend."

Pein realized he was worried not only for himself, but for Konan as well. She did save him, after all.

The figure smiled. And then Pein saw Konan. She was sleeping peacefully. And then he saw a figure standing above her, drawing a long knife… bringing it down…

"Please… Stop this…" Pein gasped. "I shall do as you say… Just don't do this…"

The figure laughed. It was a horrible, cruel sound, filling your soul yet emptying it. "Very well. I shall contact you when the time is right."

Time seemed to start again. The hill returned, and Konan became a person instead of a blank outline. Pein looked up. There was no gap in the clouds. There had never been a gap in the clouds. He turned and vomited.

_What have I just gotten into?_

_Could it have been a dream? An aftereffect of the drugging? It had to be. Otherwise… Yeah, it had to be a dream._


End file.
